Design and modeling of MEMS-based solid propellant propulsion

MEMS-based solid propellant propulsion was developed.The structural design and fabrication process of the thruster, as well as the approach of propellant injection are presented. A thermal conduct model of ignition phase was established, with which the effect of various parameters on the ignition delay is analyzed. Meanwhile, the development of the model for performance simulation of micro thruster is described. The result indicates that low density, thermal conductivity and specific heat of substrate material of ignitor resistor can reduce the ignition delay time and power consumption; under certain condition, increasing the exit-to-throat section ratio of nozzle will help to raise the thrust and impulse bit of the propulsion in vacuum. It can be concluded that MEMS-based propulsion can meet the requirement of miniaturization, micro thrust and high accurate impulse bit for the propulsion system of micro satellite.